Educational toy



April 25, 1967 R. A. NIELSEN 3,315,376

EDUCATIONAL TOY Filed July 12, 1965 INVENTOR. Raf/z ,4. lWe/sen United States Patent 3,315,376 EDUCATIONAL TOY Ruth A. Nielsen, 3304 W. Nelson, Midland, Mich. 48640 Filed July 12, 1965, Ser. No. 475,306 1 Claim. (Cl. 35-35) This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 292,553, filed July 3, 1963 and now abandoned.

This invention relates to a novel construction toy and more particularly is concerned with a multi-component set of building elements adapted to be assembled in various ways.

This toy finds a particular utility in forming both capital and lower case letters of the alphabet and numerals as well as other artistic and interesting forms and shapes and abstract designs.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a construction toy comprising a multiplicity of detachable members which can be readily assembled into alphabet letters, numerals and other shapes and designs.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel toy wherein the individual members comprising the toy readily are connected together and taken apart thereby providing a versatile, entertaining assembly for producing many construction shapes.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a construction toy having connecting means for firmly joining members together but which also permits pivoting when joined by a single connection and ready release for disassembly and configuration changes.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel snap type assembly, other than a sliding or slip fit, for joining together members of a construction toy whereby the members are tightly connected and locked by frictional engagement but are readily releasable from each other.

It is an additional object of the present invention to provide flat, shaped construction members having integral connecting means for ready assembly into various shapes and configurations.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a construction toy wherein three basic element shapes are used to prepare all the letters of the alphabet (both upper and lower case), the numerals and -a wide variety of configurations.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a construction toy wherein the component members can be snapped together, stacked one on another when in locked position and taken apart over and over again without damage or loss of gripping power when fitted together.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a construction toy wherein the elements are adapted to be joined by a press fit connected and held by frictional engagement forming a releasable pivotal joint between the elements.

These and other objects and advantages readily will become apparent from the detailed description presented hereinafter when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a preferred embodiment of the three basic forms of the individual components comprising the construction toy of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of the straight element of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of two of the elements of the present invention connected together, showing one embodiment of the structure and mode of operation of a connecting means.

is of a height FIGURE 4 depicts illustrative embodiments of a number of representative alphabet letters, numerals and artistic configurations which can be formed by various combinations of the elements of the present toy.

The individual components of the present construction toy comprise releasably connectable elements of various shapes, each element containing at least one projection extending outward from one face and/or at least one indentation. To assure a firm, but detachable connection between a projection of one member and a mating indentation of a second member, each of said projections substantially equal to the depth of said indentations. Further, each projection and indentation possess an identical configuration in that the outer perimeter of each projection is of substantially the same size and shape as the inner wall of each indentation. Additionally, each projection and indentation is of relatively short length, unlike the long sliding fit assemblies of the known art.

The basic, individual components of a preferred embodiment of the present construction toy as shown in the figures comprise a straight, elongated member 10, an arc member 12 and a substantially U-shaped member 14.

The elements 10, 12 and 14 ordinarily are formed from a fiat sheet-like material of substantially uniform thickness and each has substantially the same width throughout its length.

Preferably, the projections and indentations present in each member, as shown in the figures, are cylindrical in shape, the outer diameter of each projection being substantially identical to the diameter of each indentation and the overall depth, i.e. length, of each indentation and projection being substantially equal. In this embodiment, as shown in the figures, each of the elements contain at least one projection extending outward from one face and an indentation in the opposite face directly opposite the projection.

In the particular embodiment shown in the figure, each of the members 10, 12 and 14 has at least two identical indentations 16 in .one face 18, said indentations located one each at opposite ends of the element. The indentations 16 are substantially round in shape with a Hat bottom, i.e. cylindrical in shape, and penetrate only a portion of the total thickness of the elements. Ordinarily the depth of the indentation or cavity is about one half the thickness of the element. A projection 20 extends outwardly from the opposite face 22 of each element opposite each indentation 16. The projections 20 are of a height substantially equal to the depth of the indentations 16 each projection mating exactly with the indentation 16 by means of a press fit, i.e. the overall diameter of the projections and that of the indentations is substantially equal thereby providing a pivotal, frictional engaging locking means.

Also as shown in the figures, preferably a through passage 24 having a diameter less than that of the diameter of the indentation 16 and projection 20 extends from the base 26 of the indentation 16 through the face 28 of the projection 20. The through passage 24 serves to aid the pivoting and movement of members one around another without breaking the joint or connection although satisfactory movement around the axis of the joint is obtained with connections having blind faces for the mating indentation and projection. With elements fabricated from flexible materials, the opening in the projection also serves to aid in joining the elements together, as the projection can be more readily squeezed together as it is forced into contact with mating indentation in a second element. This squeeze factor in turn provides a locking characteristic which aids in holding the constructions together when they are carried about or moved, or pivoted around a single connection.

.the indentations The diameter of passage 24 can be small thereby providing a relatively thick walled projection 20 or can be of a diameter approaching that of the projection thereby providing a relatively thin walled projection.

Preferably the outer edge 30 of the projection 20 is rounded to increase the ease of entry of the pro ection 20 into the ident-ation 16 when connecting the members 10, 12 and 14 in various configurations.

If desired, the opening between the face 2d of the indentation 16 and the face 28 of the projection 20 can be in the shape of a single slit or multiplicity of slits. Similarly, it is to be understood that other configuratlons of openings between the faces of the indentat1on .16 of projection 20 also can be employed if such is desired in the connecting means.

Although the integral connecting means have been depicted as being present only near the ends of the elements 10, 12 and 14 of the construction toy, it is to be understood that alternatively additional indentations 16 and mating projections 20 can be formed at intervals along the length of the elements if desired to add to the versatility of assembly formation.

It is also to be understood, as set forth hereinbe-fore, that the projections and indentation connecting means of the present invention need not be directly opposite each other as shown in the figures. To illustrate, a given element can contain two projections on one side and an indentation on the opposite face, but spaced apart from the projections. only one or more projections or only one or moreindentations. Again, one face of an element can contaln both projections and indentations. It is important only that from one element be of substantially the same identical size and shape of the projections from other elements to provide the firm snap fit which is novel with the present invention.

The distance between the center of the connecting means of the depicted straight elongated member and between the center of these connecting means across the arm of the U-shaped member 14 in the depicted embodiment are substantially the same thus assuring firm and ready engagement of the two members when connected by the two sets of mating connections. In alternate embodiments, where these distances are not the same, e.g. wherein the straight member is of a longer length, additional indentations and projections can be provided to assure ready connection of two or more of the connecting means with mating assemblies on other elements. To illustrate, if the straight member is twice as long as the distance between the center of the two connecting means across the arms of a U-shaped member, an additional indentation and projection can be formed into the straight member at its midpoint to accommodate and mate with the connecting means at the ends of the arms of the U- shaped member.

Each element 10, 12 and 14 is preferably formed with rounded ends 32 the curvature of which is concentric with the cavities 16 of the elements. This provides a rounded juncture or corner when one element is connected to another and eliminates sharp corners regardless of the angular relationship of the elements.

The present connecting means also assures a rotatable or pivotal connection between the elements such that when two elements are joined through a single connector these can be moved in relative planes one to the other. By stacking a multiplicity of the elements joined by connecting means forming a single axis, any one element in the assembly can be pivoted to point or project in any one direction thereby providing an almost infinite number of curves and angular configurations. This is illustrated by the abstract design configuration of FIGURE 4.

Although the elements of the present construction toy can be fabricated from a wide variety of rigid and elastic materials including, for example, wood, metals, rubber,

Alternatively, an element can contain 4 polystyrene resins, etc. preferably a flexible material such as polyethylene or polypropylene is employed.

Such flexible construction materials offer a number of advantages when used in the present toy construction. To illustrate, the opening containing projections 20 readily can be squeezed or otherwise deformed when pressure is exerted during the snapping, or press fitting, of members together thereby promoting the ease of joining the members and at the same time when connected forming a lock connection. Also, these flexible members assure ready joining of mating connections on either side of members at opposite ends of the elements 10 and 12, for example, thereby assuring ready ease of connection even by young children. This also is depicted by the letter 0 construction shown in FIGURE 4. Further, polyethylene or polypropylene, e.g. exhibits a natural lubricity thus assuring ready rotation of the members around a single connection. Elements of polyethylene are durable and retain their form even after prolonged usage and a multitude of figure formations.

Additionally, the elements, particularly the straight element 10, can be indented across their width to provide an integral hinge. These can be used to advantage in the fabrication of buildings and other structures having corners.

Both clear or pigmented plastics as well as nautral or surface treated wood and metals can be used. Colored 'or pigmented plastic materials are preferred as these add interest and eye appeal. The individual elements 10, 12 and 14 can all be of the same color or multiple colored members can be used together in a set.

The elements of the present invention readily can be formed by molding or other fabrication techniques apparent to one skilled in the fabrication art.

The three basic elements depicted in FIGURE 1 provide the basis for forming any of a wide variety of forms and configurations. Ordinarily, these are supplied in a set containing a plurality of an assortment of each of the three basic elements. To illustrate, only nine elements (five of the straight members 10, 2 of the arc members 12 and 2 of the U-shaped members 14) can form any of the individual capital or lower case letters of the alphabet and the numerals. Representative members are depicted 1n FIGURE 4. It is noted, for exemplary purposes, the depicted circle or O embodiment has been illustrated as being formed from four are shaped members 12. However, in forming the alphabet letters this latter figure can be formed by connecting 2 U-shaped elements together or 2 straight members and 2 arc-shaped members, for example.

With sets of a greater number of elements, or with a multiplicity of the nine piece sets, running figures or designs and words readily can be formed. Also numbers can be depicted in combination to show the computation and solution of arithmetic problems.

Various modifications can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope thereof for it is understood that I limit myself only as defined in the appended claim.

I claim:

A teaching device for constructing numerical and alphabetical characters which comprises a plurality of releasably connectible flat members including an elongated planar web and composed of an elastically deformable plastic material, said members consisting of an assortment of (1) straight elongated elements, (2) arc shaped elements and (3) substantially U-shaped elements; each of said elements having at least two identical indentations in one face of said web, one of said indentations being located at each of the opposite ends of each of said elements, each of said indentations being substantially cylindrical in shape and penetrating only a portion of the total thickness of the element, a substantially cylindrical projection integrally formed and extending outwardly from the face of said web of each element opposite each of said indentations, each of said projections being of a height substantially equal to the depth of said indentation, the height of each said projection being less than about one-fifth the diameter thereof, the outer diameter of each of said projections being substantially identical to the diameter of each of said indentations, the outer end portion of the cylindrical surface of each of said projections formed with a taper to provide a reduced diameter to facilitate alignment and initial engagement of said projection with an indentation of another said element, each of said indentations and said projections opposite thereto defining a through passage, said through passage extending from the base of said indentation through the face of said projection and disposed in axial alignment and concentric relationship with the peripheral surface of said projection defining therewith an elastically deformable annular wall, each of said projections mating with an indentation of a second element in an elastically deformable frictionally engageable press fit thereby providing detachable connecting means for joining said elements together, said elements being pivotally afiixed one to another around the axis of the connecting means when attached together by one of said mating indentations and projections providing therewith an assembly arrangeable in a variety of configurations to simulate numerical and alphabetical characters.

References Cited by the Examiner EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner.

W. GRIEB, Assistant Examiner. 

